Coop addition w/pics and question.

[joanm]

I added another 8’ to my run so the total is 16’ long by 4’ wide. I’m going to put what was once a doghouse on the end, but make it bigger. Pic below.

I want to order four more chicks; Barred Rock, Columbian Rock, Partridge Rock and a Speckled Sussex. I have two roosters now but plan on getting rid of one. My question is will there be enough room for four more birds?

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Looks good.

I think the original plan for the "playhouse" coop was big enough for 4-5. Now with the added 8 ft and other coop at the other at the other end, I think you should be fine for 4 more.

 

[mamading]

ummm... maybe if they all get along well. Because it looks like they're going to be roosting pretty close to each other in that coop on the end.

 

[Corey NC]

Do they stay in their pen all the time or do they free-range during the day? If they stay in the pen all the time then you shouldn't get more birds but if the free range most days then you will be fine getting a couple more. It is recomended for a live-in run that there be at least 8 square feet per bird, 10 is better.

 

[2mnypets]

I have always heard 10' per bird for an outside run. I know ours is even to small for our birds and we're in the process of enlarging them. Best of luck to you.

Edited because I can't seem to type correctly this morning.....come on second cup of coffee!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

That is really looking good! Your set-up just keeps getting better. I also think your limiting factor is looking like your roosting space, at this point. How many linear feet of roosting space do you have now? How big is the dog house?

So, you have 5 chickens now, 2 are roosters, you are getting rid of 1 rooster, so will have 4 chickens total, correct? And you want to add 4 more, so that you would have 8 chickens in there? Is that correct? Or do I need more coffee???

I would think that they would all want to roost up high in the main coop and wonder if you'll have problems with them fighting over the prime roosting spots, especially as you will be adding chickens to an existing flock. I wonder if there's any way to modify the original covered coop/run area, to provide more roosting area?

The biggest problem I always have is that I think it's really difficult to say for sure how chickens will end up behaving. Sometimes, things you think will work out fine don't and other times set-ups that look like trouble work out fine.

OK, how long before you attach another playhouse coop on the other end???

 

[joanm]

I have 8' of roosting space. They don't seem to have a problem right now, but they are only 13 weeks old. The old dog house I have pictured is going on the other end of the run. I'm going to modify it and make it bigger. If I could do it all over again, I would not choose the playhouse coop!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

8' is not too bad. For some reason, looking at it, I was thinking you had less than that.

I usually figure 1' per chicken for roosting space, because the math is easier, but for heavy breeds I think the recommendation is actually only 10" per chicken. Some of the chickens I've seen pictures of on this site are really huge and I'm sure they need a bit more space. I just have regular sized chickens.

The recommendation on placing roosts is 18" from the wall and each other, if placed horizontally. If you stair step them, it's 12" apart vertically and horizontally. We had a lot of space to work with in our big shed style coop. In our tractor, though, we were tighter on space and they did not get 18". More like 12" from the wall. Now they squeeze themselves into the second story, where the nest box supports are and it's even tighter. Don't even get me started on what my DH did to my original tractor design during the building phase of that project. A lot of us have regrets about this year's building projects!

I was really just trying to tease you about adding on again, as you seem to have really taken to this chicken hobby. I'm glad you are enjoying your chickens so much that you would like to get more.

 

[joanm]

The plans on this coop is actually 4' of roost, but if you can see in the first pic the panel is down (due to the heat) and where it latches up is actually where they roost, which really isn't a roost! Clear as mud? hehe! Even in this heat they bunch close together, so I think if I had 100' roost they would still bunch together! I guess because it's the highest place in the coop they can get.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I must have had enough coffee this morning, because I understood that!

I've noticed with chickens that...

A. You plan what you want.

B. They do what they want!

I've had speckled Sussex and partridge rocks and they were really nice birds. I've heard good things about all the rock varieties. Those are nice choices.